Manual bookkeeping apparatus



May 28, 1940. j R0550 2,202,639

MANUAL BOQKKEEPING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 24, 1938 E GUI ma ATTRNEY.

i atented May 28, 1946 PAT ur orr cs MANUAL BOOKKEEPING APPARATUS John E. Russo, Virginia, Minn. Application August 24, 1938, Serial No. 226,483

7 1 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in manual bookkeeping: apparatus and has for its principal object the provision of means ofsimple construction wherewith a carbon copy of anentry :made. on any of various separate bookkeeping forms may be made simultaneously andaccumulatedon a proof Isheet inconvenient line arrangement therewith. E -Another object of the invention is to provide :a backing board having holding and aligning means for loose leaf bookkeeping forms, including a pointer, and whereby the next available line of each form may be conveniently placed upon the board above similar lines on the other forms therebeneath, so that an entry made on the topform will be simultaneously recorded on all forms; carbon paper being placed between the forms for thispurpose.

' Another object-of the invention is'to provide said holding and aligning means with a second pointer to indicate tothe operator the last line on the top form which may be used without run ning 'oi'i the'page of some form therebeneath. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof. Referring now to the accompanying drawing illustrative of the present development of the invention inits'preferred form, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved book: keeping apparatus, with the clamping bar partl broken away.

Figure 2 is an enlarged end elevation of one corner of said apparatusillustrating the relative position of'the clamping bar.

In the drawing, thenumeral 1 indicates a rec- 'tangular base or board ofany material presenting a suitable smooth upper writing surface. Adjacent the left marginal edgeo'fsaid base are fixed a row'of short upstanding pegs or pins 2, preferably of metal, and arranged in pairs, the pegs of each pair being spaced approximately one-quarter inch apart, and the pairs being spaced about an inch and one-quarter apart,v

215 although it is obvious that the'pegs may be spaced one-quarter inch apart continuously throughout the lengthof the board. For use with this board there may be provided any desired number or arrangement of multiple record forms for the purpose of entering thereupon, with the aid of carbon paper therebetween, bookkeeping or other data, as hereinafter described. Adjacent the left hand edge of the forms they are perforated so that said perforations will register with the pegs and thus the forms may be placed on the board over the pegs in any relative position to each other.

,In' addition to the pegs, I have provided-a hingedclamping bar .3 which is pivotally attached to the left of -'the row of pegs for the purpose ofholding down and keeping theleft hand margin of the'record sheets from curling and becoming detached from the pegs. This clamping bar runs parallel to the row of pegs, and

consists of a rectangular'bar, preferably of metal, and its hinged conneotionto the board'comprises the pair of arms 4 at ,eitherend thereof, each arm being pivoted at its lower. end tothe board, as at 5, and at its upper end-to" the bar, as atii, so that the bar with its attachments will ,always move parallel with'the surface of the board, as clearly illustrated in Figure 2. A knob is'indicated at i upon either end of the clamp bar for convenient manipulation thereof, from one position to another, and in Figure 2it is shown l midway between the limit vof-its movement in I either direction. When moved to the right to the limit of its movement the clamp rests upon the board immediately adjacent the row of pegs and overlapping the left hand margin of any record sheets on the boardand keeps said sheets from curling and becoming detached from the pegs. No spring tension is applied to the-clamp inasmuch as its weight is sufficient to serve the purpose of keeping the record sheets engaged on the. pegs. When the board is ready tov receive record sheets, the clamp is moved on its hinges to the left and awayfrom-therow of pegs, and after the sheetsare properly placed itis moved to the right to hold them down and in engage- Y -ment.with the pegs.

A detachable line guide sheet, indicated at 3, is provided and which fits over the row of pegs in the same manner as therecord sheets. This line guide assumes a position'on the board sub- 'and one-third of thespace at thebottom open forthe obvious shifting .ofv the record sheets thereover. The proof or journal sheet is'placed on top of theline guide, and then anyother record sheets, such as a statement and a ledger sheet may be placed successively on top of the proof sheet,: and the line guide covers only the area to be used for writing purposes, and is the primary guide for the proof or journal sheet which stays in a-fixed position until the entries are completed or it is filled to capacity, when it is replaced by another. This line guide is provided with heavy ruled horizontal lines numextreme left and right hand edges, and which numbers extend beyond the other sheets which may be superposed thereupon, so that the next unused numbered lines on the record'sheets may be placed on the pegs in their proper positions, using the proper line guide number from either the right or left hand side. The numbers on the line guide are conspicuously provided with printed indicators pointing to the respective lines and project to the right and left of the record forms so that they are visible at all times during and after the assembling of the record sheets.

The heavy lines on the line guide serve the additional purpose of more readily locating entered matter on the proof sheet, which is semi-transparent with no lines or printed matter Whatever located thereon. Of courseyit is obvious that this line guide may be printed directly upon the surface of the backing board, and function equally as well. I

To avoid the possibility of making entries on the top sheet when there is no further available entry space on any oneof the under sheets, I have provided .a stop indicator 9 which will automatically prevent further entries. This indicator is attached to the hinged clamp in such a manner that it is readily slidable from top to bottom in either direction to any desired position. In operation this indicator is moved to a position one line below the last available line on any one of the record sheets as and when such sheets are engaged with the pegs. When the hinged clamp is moved to the right against the row of pegs this indicator covers a. portion of one entry line on the top sheet, thereby preventing any entry from being made on that particular line, and of course when the operator reaches that line for his next entry, he removes the record sheet which isfilled to capacity and replaces it with another. i

To relieve any disturbance of the bottom proof or journal sheet, or the sheet of carbon paper covering it, and to facilitate the finding of the correct starting line, I have provided an automatic starting indicator Ill which is slidably carried by the hinged clamp in the same manner as the stop indicator, and of course assumes a position on the clamp bar thereabove. This indicator I0 is arched as indicated at ll .so that it may be slid on the clamp over the pegs without engaging any of the same. It is also shaped so that when the two indicators come together, 1t will slide over andcover the stop indicator. In operation, this indicator is naturally positioned to point to the starting line on each sheet so that the next available line on each record sheet may be placed directly over one another when assembled on the board, so that, with carbon paper between the sheets, an entry on the top sheet will be duplicated on the next available line for entry on each of the sheets successively therebeneath. If several entries are to be made on one sheet, this indicator must be moved down one space before each of the entries may be made, and it is obvious from this procedure that the start indicator is always covering the next available writing line, and, when the hinged clamp bar is moved to the left, it is pointing to the proper line for the next set of record sheets. No specific record sheets are illustrated in the drawing, as, from the above description, any of several different types comprising a particular bookkeeping system may be used with carbon paper therebetween to record the same entry simultaneously on all record sheets used in cooperation with the board. I I

Theindicators 9 and lll areformed integrally with their respective slidable members l2 and 13, which latter are illustrated as being conveniently manipulated by the upstanding handles Having thus described my invention, what I in combination a backing board to receive a plurality of separate loose-leaf ruled bookkeeping forms perforated along one edge, a row of pegs carried by said board to receive thevperforated side of said forms and hold same in predetermined relationship to other forms on the board, a movable clamping bar attached to said board and engageable with said forms upon one side of said pegs, and an indicator slidably supported by said clamp for designating on the other side of said pegs a line on any or all of said forms, said indicator being arched to extend over said pegs so that it may be movedwithout contacting said pegs. v

2. Manual bookkeeping apparatus comprising in combination a backing board to receive a plurality of separate loose-leaf ruled bookkeeping forms perforated along one edge, a row of pegs carried by said board and spaced to correspond to said perforations to receive the perforated side of said forms and hold same in predetermined relationship to'other forms on the board, a clamping bar attached to said board and movable to one position for holding said 7 forms upon said pegs and to another position pegs carried by said board adjacent one edge,

thereof to receive the perforated edge of said forms and hold same in predetermined relation-- ship to other forms on the board, a movable clamp bar hingedly attached to opposite ends said board adjacent said pegs and engageable with said forms upon one side of said pegs and movable free of said board for convenient manipulation of the forms upon the pegs, and an arched indicator slidably supported by said clamp for designating on the other side of said pegs a line on any or all of said forms.

JOHN E. ROSSO. 

